A common technique in refrigerator cabinet construction is to provide a false bottom in a three-sided refrigerator cabinet shell. An example of this is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,707,243. The outer wrapper has a three-sided structure which has a false bottom secured in its lower portion. One of the purposes of the false bottom is to define a compressor compartment. Additional support members must be secured to the bottom of the refrigerator to support the compressor assembly for the refrigerator located in the rear compressor compartment. These supports are formed of metal, hence requiring the use of elaborate vibration dampening devices in supporting the compressor on the metal frame.
Another approach to constructing a refrigerator cabinet having a three-sided outer shell is disclosed in Canadian Patent No. 1,001,204. The liner is inserted into the three-sided wrapper which provides the cabinet sides and top. The rear panel includes a bottom portion of sheet metal which is placed into the wrapper to complete the cabinet. The combination rear panel and bottom includes a struck-out portion to accommodate a compressor. Additional metal cross members are required to traverse the opening to compressor compartment. The refrigerator compressor is mounted on the cross members resulting in the same drawbacks as the system of U.S. Pat. No. 3,707,243.
Another technique of cabinet construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,410. A wrap-around shell for the cabinet provides the cabinet sides, top and bottom. The rear panel, which is inserted into the cabinet, includes a preformed compressor compartment. A rectangular base member is secured to the underside of the cabinet to support it. Foam insulation is placed beneath the compartment shell and additional structure members are inserted into the compartment shell to support a compressor mounted therein. By having to place foam under the compressor compartment shell for support, the compressor is elevated considerably within the refrigerator cabinet resulting in a reduction in interior space in the cabinet. In roll forming the wrap-around shell arrangement, it is very difficult to control the alignment to ensure that the ends align at the corner where they are joined.
The cabinet construction, according to this invention, eliminates the need for false bottoms in the cabinet, provides significant economies in assembly and permits the mounting of a compressor directly on the base for the cabinet.